-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A Pakistani politician critical of U.S. drone strikes said Saturday that American authorities detained and questioned him at a Canadian airport .

Imran Khan , a former cricket star , this month led a march to the border of Pakistan 's tribal region to protest drone strikes , which he says end up killing more civilians than militants .

Khan said he boarded a New York-bound plane in Toronto on Friday when two U.S. immigration officials asked him to step outside . The officials made him wait for about 40 minutes before interviewing him for another 20 minutes , he said .

`` I kept asking them what was this all about , and then one guy interviewed me and he was so confused , he had no idea what he was saying , '' Khan told CNN by phone from Seattle , another stop on his trip .

`` He was talking about some fund-raising , so I asked him to come to the point , and he said , ` We 're worried you might use violence against drones . ' I mean , it was so ridiculous , I did n't even know how to answer it . ''

Khan : `` We 'll sweep the election ''

Khan missed his flight , but he eventually made it to New York , and later Seattle , for fund-raisers for his political party , Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf . He has two more fund-raisers on the schedule , in San Francisco and Los Angeles , before he returns home to Pakistan , Khan said .

The cricket legend said he suspects U.S. officials simply wanted to make him miss an anti-drone protest Khan was scheduled to lead in the United States , without realizing the protest had already been postponed because of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha .

A State Department official acknowledged that Khan was `` briefly delayed '' before boarding the next flight to the United States .

`` The issue was resolved , '' the official said . `` Mr. Khan is welcome in the United States . ''

Khan has been a fierce critic of U.S. policy in Pakistan and the use of drone strikes , calling them a violation of Pakistan 's sovereignty and a strategy that stokes militant anger toward Washington .

In recent years , the U.S. government has sharply stepped up the use of drone attacks in Pakistan 's mostly ungoverned tribal region , widely believed to be a safe haven for militant groups fueling the insurgency in Afghanistan .

American officials say the drone strikes are an effective strategy against militant groups and insist civilian casualties are rare .

Anti-drone peace march halted in Pakistan

Khan says people he has spoken to in the tribal region say most of the people killed are innocent civilians .

That , he said , is counterproductive to the war on terrorism .

`` If you alienate them , you lose the war , because they 're the ones who are going to eventually provide logistical support , '' he said . `` From these people will be the recruits to the militants . ''

CNN 's Azadeh Ansari and Elise Labott contributed to this report .

@highlight

Imran Khan is a vocal critic of U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan

@highlight

He was traveling from Toronto to New York when he was questioned , he says

@highlight

He reiterated his stance against drones

@highlight

A State Department official says Khan was `` briefly detained ''